In the practice of dentistry, it is often necessary for a dentist to perform dental procedures at various orientations relative to the dental work. This typically requires the dentist to have a variety of dental instruments at his/her disposal, each having at one or both ends a fixed tool with a tip having a given shape and orientation. Alternatively, the dentist can use a dental instrument comprising an instrument body that accepts a tool having a tip. The tool can be adjusted so the tip can take on a variety of orientations, i.e., positions relative to the instrument body. In addition, with some instruments, the tool may be replaced with another tool having a different tip configuration. For such an adjustable dental instrument, it is important that the tool be capable of being rapidly adjusted to a particular orientation and then fixed tightly in place within the instrument body. It is also important that the instrument body and tool be amenable to being rapidly cleaned for subsequent re-use.
Various conventional instruments are available that utilize removable and/or adjustable tools. However, these instruments have various shortcomings, including: relatively cumbersome adjustability; limited positionability of the tool tip; uncertainty in the strength of the grip on the tool; complexity of the clamping mechanism; and relatively weak grip on the tool. The present invention overcomes these and other shortcomings of conventional dental instruments.